Adjustable measuring device for tires



April 1953 P. E. HAWKINSON 2,636,277

ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES Filed March 19, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet l f y' J 2 mimw' 1/ WM April 28, 1953 P. E. HAWKINSON 2,636,277

I ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES Filed March 19, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 P. E. HAWKINSON ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES April 28, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 19, 1948 April 28, 1953 P. E. HAWKINSON ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES Filed March 19, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 m m M April 28, 1953 P. E. HAWKINSON ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 19, 1948 ENK AQW

April 28, 1953 P. E. HAWKINSON ADJUSTABLE MEASURING DEVICE FOR TIRES Filed March 19, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Apr. 28,- 1953 UNI "QF-F .1 CE

*assazw swee ness MEASURING ib'EVIoE iFOiR mum's 4 "fliaims.

My invention'i-elates to aftire bufiingm-abradi'ng maehine'and par'ticul'arly't'o such a"machine constructed and arranged to buff 'or fmish "a the in connection with applying "a "new tread, to a 'worntire. y

In the buifmg of thejpijiphery oi"attire prior to the "application thereto of the 'jn'ew treawmatefi'al, it'is important ,not'i ii ythatfthe'p'eri ihery .be buffed on the desired are *but aiso that-the periphery is 'bliff'ed. fa n egiialdistanbefifrom the lateral center line of the 'tiiejha't is, the center line between'the sidewalls thereof. I'ft'h'e latter is not accomplished, there is 'aiways'a tendengy to place the new tread'material' more on one Side cured, is vout ofba1'ance. 7

An important "object a: .my invention i msvei adjustable measuring and oente 'in gjdeviees' which an operator may bej'gui'ded in' thehuffing and'trueing of the peripheiyhffathjetand "in-the placing'of the new tread stockthere'on, v

The above and still 'furthez object sbf any invention will become apparent fromthe folio'wing detailed speeification, "i bencied' claims, and attached drawings. h v I F I Referring to the firawin'g's, wherein iike-charaeters indio'a'te likeffi'aits' through-oat thef seveial views:' 7 o m Fig. 1 is a View in plan of :myndir'elbufiihg machine; I i v Fig. 2 is a frontelevationibf the mlaohine pf Fig. 1, some parts hi'oke'n'away and some parts shown in Section; i

Fig. 3 is 'a view insideelevatiohbf my novel than another ithth'e result thatgt'lffe the, when buffing'machin'e, some parts being biokenaway;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryview in frbntfeletation, some parts bi'olzen away, shown as being taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; r i

Fig. 5 isian enlargedfsection'ali detail; taken'on the line 5- 5 ofFigl 4; r I

Fig. 6 is'a greatly enlarged fpagn'ientary detail in perspective of the tire tread width --indicat6r of my invention; L V N Fig. '7 is an. enlarged f aehientaryfletaiLfsom'e partsishown in seetionftaknon'the, line "i 1 of Fig. 1; o

Fig. 8 is aldetailjin"'seetiomftakn (immune 8-43 of Fig. '7, vsomel'parts fbiri'gbroken away;

Fig. 9 is a lview corresponding ,si ibstantiallyq to Fig. 8 but. showin'gfadiffereritfposition of some of the partsjand I H I i a v Refer-ting wih, 1 eatei ieularity to'gthe dmw'mgs, a i'ri'achi'iie is" shownemfiim'sirfg a ease 1,-prearab1y and as -shown in the form of a plate Plate 1, atforie end thereof, hasa turntable 2 "mountedonaverticai axis through the "medium of stud shaf t t. 'Tiir'ritable Zisof ciriculalf formformostbj its-extent but has one side projeet'ing somewhat with a-rectih'near edge, and a brackt-Q "is secured to said turntable "at said side {by .weidin'gfor -'the1i-ke. Bracket 4 has an elongated 'horizonta-l-ly-ekteniied *s1ot 5, and a standard 6 has a fiatfside engaging the "outer face of the-bracket G and is connected to said byaeket .i y a pair ofhead-ed ho-It's passing through slot *5. "Standard 6 is of-rectangular iorm in horizontal -cross -seetion"and has-a vertically-extendifng strengthening rihfB atits outer side. Suitable "rollers 01' bearings not shown n'aay be interposed between the turntableZandthefbase i to prevent binding therebet'ween. Mounted on the standard is a' c' 'oss head or fbl'ook 9. Block'B is movable onthe standard 6 and eanbe held in various jfiigegi"positions thereeh byscrews I 0. A'slide i! fits in a roove in "one sitie of the block B and "is movable *thei'einin a direction at 1 right angles to the standar s. The "slide H has an arm '12 je oting fromt jhe sifle'pan'd-a screw la'passes *thi'ongh said arim, said serew'ioeihg provided with "an oper'atihg hand wheel '14. Afsorew l3 passes through a threaded i ar o jecti'on 15 of the cross head; 9, whiehfacts as'a nut. The screw 53 is 'ehne oted to tne'far'ih I 2 sothat rotation or the *ha-nd'whel 1 4 andiscrw I 3 moves siideil trans- 'ver's'e1y of the head- 9. fhe'parts so far desei'ibed, including the turntable 2 and th parts car'ried 'thexe'by, are substantially-the same as shown in applicants prior Patent No. "2,392,667.

A spi'ndle easing F6 "is seems by welding or fthe like "to one end -'po1*tion:ofthes1ide H and pi ojeet's laterally 'o itwa'r dly therefrom. 501 11- ii-alled in the-easing H5 isa shaft H which extends laterally outwafdly -f 1"bh1 the casing 3'6 and is adapted to uppor't a wheel U8 upon which is *mo'iintedfin a coi-iventionai-m-anner a tire casing i 9. Olitwardiy-o fthewheel 1 8, the shaft I! is *thi'eade'cL-to fec'eive a ioeking nut 28. The shaft -11 is provided with an "integrally-formed stop collar 2i against which 'the-hii b '22 of the Wheel "1841's adapted to he forced Joy tightening of the *nut "21]. Adjacent the-slide '1! I. the casing 18 is emargedto for gear'housi-ngportion-2'3 which encompasses a-worm gear '25 mounted fasten the' shaft H.

k The worm gear Zlj-and eon'sequentlythe Wheel 'l8-'-an'd tire l9 have-rotary movements imparted "thereto "from a motor 2-5 through the medium of described. The motor is secured by machine bolts or the lik 26 to a base plate 2'! which is. in turn, hingedly mounted at its outer end, as indicated at 28, to a bracket 29. The bracket 28 extends over the cross head 9 and is secured by welding or the like to the inner face of the slide l I. It will be seen, particularly by reference to Fig. 7, that the bas 2? overlies the bracket 29 for the greater part of its length and is biased in a direction away from the bracket 29 by means of a coil compression spring 30. A drive shaft 31 is journalled at its opposite ends in bearing brackets 32 and 33' secured to opposite end portions of the base plate 27 and is held against axial movements relative to said brackets in one direction by means of a collar 34 and in the other direction by the hub of a beveled gear 35. Opposed clutch disks or flanges 36 and 31 are secured fast in axially-spaced relation on the shaft 3i between the brackets 32 and 33 by means of key and set screw fastenings 38 and are provided with friction linings 39 adjacent the clutch flange 35. Adapted to have clutchin engagement therewith is a flange-equipped V-pulley so which is journalled on an anti-friction bearing 4! slidably mounted on the shaft 3!. A V-pulley :32 is journalled on an anti-friction bearing 83 slidably carried by the shaft 3| and has one side thereof adapted to come into frictional engagement with the friction element 39 of the clutch flange 37. It will be seen by reference to Fig. 7 that the pulley 52 is of considerably greater diameter than the V-pulley 40 for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent. A shifter collar 44 is interposed between the V-pulleys (l6 and 42 and is provided with anti-friction thrust bearings 45 on either side thereof. Shifter collar it is stationary with respect to the rotation of the shaft but is mounted for axial movements with respect thereto by means of a plurality of shifter rods 46 which are secured at the radially-projecting outer ends 41 of the collar l iand which project through and are slidably carried by the bracket 32 (see particularly Figs. 7 and 10). The extreme outer or projected ends of the rods 46 are secured fast in opposite ends of a shifter head 48. The shifter head 48 is slotted intermediate its ends, as indicated at 59 (see particularly Fig. 10), and is shifted laterally by means of an eccentric 50 which lies within and engages.

the sides of the slot 49. The eccentric 50 is mounted fast on a stub shaft 5|, which is journalled in a bearing 52 mounted fast on the bracket 32. The outer end of the stub shaft 5i is provided with a shifter lever 53. As shown in Fig. 7, when the shifter lever is in a vertical position, both of the clutches 36 and 3? are out of engagement with their respective pulleys 4i] and 42. It will be noted that movement of the shifter lever 53 to the right or to the left with respect to Fig. 7 will cause the clutch-engaging face of one or the other'of the pulleys 4B or 42 to come into driving engagement with its respective clutch flange 36 or 37. The pulleys in and 42 are coupled for driving engagement to the motor shaft 54 by means of a V-belt 55 running over the pulley 40 and a V-pulley 58 on the motor shaft 54, and by a V-belt 57 running over the V-pulley 42 and a V-pulley 58 on the extreme outer end of the motor shaft 54. It will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 7 that the pulley 40 is of considerably less diameter than the pulley 42 and that the pulley 56 on the motor shaft 54 is of greater diameter than the V-pulley 58. With this in mind, it should be seen that, when the 4 pulley 40 is engaged with its respective clutch 36, the speed of rotation of the shaft 3| is much greater than when the pulley E2 is engaged with its respective clutch member 37.

The bearing bracket 33 is provided with bearing bosses 59 which journal a worm shaft 60 on which is keyed or otherwise secured a worm $1. The worm BI is located between the bearing bosses 59 and is adapted to have driving engagement with the worm gear 25.. A beveled pinion 82, fast on one end of the shaft 63, has meshing engagement with the beveled gear 35 on th shaft 3!, whereby to rotate the worm 66.

It is often desirable to disconnect or to uncouple the rotary shaft H from driving engagement with the motor 25 so that the tire l9 may be turned manually for inspection purposes and the like. For this reason, I provide the hinge arrangement 28 between the motor base plate 21 and the bracket 29 and bias said base away from said-bracket by means of the spring 30. When the outer or free end of the base plate 2! is free for movement, bias of the spring 35.! will raise the free end of the base plate 21 and the parts carried thereby to a point where the worm BI- is out of meshing engagement with the Worm gear 2 1. Means for lowering the free end of the base plate 2'4 against bias of the spring 3!} comprises an upstanding lug 63 fast on the bracket 29 projecting through aligned openings 64 and B5 in the base plate 27 and bearing bracket 33 respectively; and a cam 66 journalled to the upper end of the lugs 63, as indicated at 87. As shown in Fig. 8, the cam 65 is bifurcated to straddle the lug G3 and engage the top of the bearing bracket 33. An operating handle 68 projects outwardly from one end of the cam 66 and, together with the cam 66, is moved to a position as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, whereby the worm 6! is in meshing engagement with the worm gear 24. When the operating handle 68 is moved to the position of Fig. 9, the bias of the spring 30 moves the worm 6i out of engagement with the worm gear 241 as shown.

The base i is provided at one end with a pair of spaced parallel guide bars 68 which are rectangularly notched to support a slide iii. The slide '18 is held in place by bars H which are secured to the guide bars 69 by means of bolts or the like 12. The slide it is adapted for movements toward and from the turntable 2, and mechanism for moving the same comprises a rack 73 fast on the slide "it and a pinion M on one end of a pinion shaft 75 journalled in a .bearing bracket 76, which is bolted or otherwise secured to one of the guide bars 69, as indicated at H. The upper end of the shaft 75 is provided with a ratchet lever it, which is of the conventional type having a pawl 79 which can be set to have the ratchet in neutral or right and left operative positions, so that the pinion 74 will be moved by swinging the lever E8 in one direction or the other to move the slide 19 toward or away from the turntable 2.

Mounted fast on the slide ii! is a circular base plate 80 which rotatively supports a pedestal El projecting upwardly therefrom and concentric therewith. A platform 82 is secured to the upper end of the pedestal 8| by headed bolts or the like 83. A turning lever 84 for the pedestal BI is pivotally secured to brackets 85, as indicated at 86, said brackets being, secured to the platform 82 directly over the pedestal 81. An index rod 81 is loosely connected at its upper end by bolt and slot connections 88 to the intermediate pornon of the turning handle 84 and projects downwardly through an opening in the platform 8-2 adjacent the pedestal 8I=. The lower end of the index rod '31 is adapted to be received into an indexi 'ng' aperture in the circular base plate 90, said aperture being shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and indicatedby the numeral 99-. Intermediate its ends, the index rod 81 is provided with a cam-acting lug 90- which is adapted to engage one end of a brake lever 9| which ispivoted as at 92 to a bracket 93 rigidly secured: to the side of the pedestal 9 I. At its extreme lower end, the brake lever 9% is provided with a friction lug 94 that is engageable with the outer peripheral surface of the stationary circular base plate 80.. The

turning-lever 84 is shown in Figs. 2 ands as being disposed in its lower position with the lower end of the index rod 91 seated in the aperture 89- of the base plate 80. Limited upward movement of the lever 84 will: disengage the index rod 8"I s from the aperture 89 and permit turningo'f the pedestal BI and parts carried thereby relative to the base plate 80. Continued upward movement of the lever 84 will cause the cam-acting lug 99 to engage the upper end of the brake, lever '9I and cause the friction lug 9 to engage, the enter peripheral surface of the base plate, 80 so. that the pedestal may be effectively locked in any de-v sired position for a purpose which, will hereinafter become apparent.

For the bufiihg 0f the crown of the the IQ preparatory to application of new tread rubber thereto, I provide a pair or buifi-ng or abrading wheels 95 and 96 mountedrast in axially spaced relation on one end of a rotary shaft. 91. The shaft 91' is journalled by or anti-friction bearings 98 in a bearing sleeve 99, whichis slidably mounted in a housing I90 (see particularly Figs. 4 and 5). The bulnng wheels 95 and 96 are covered with suitable abrasive material IOI l which may be coarse in nature, as indicated on the wheel 95 in Fig. 4, or relatively fine, as indicated on the wheel 99 in Fig. 4. Referring particularly to Fig, 5, it will be seen, that the bufil'ng wheels 95- and 9t are held against endwis'e movement on the shaft 91 in one direction by a stop collar I02 secured thereto by means of a set screw or the like I0 3. A spacing collar I04 interposed between the bumng wheels 95 and 96 to maintain the same in spaced relation, and a washer-equipped nut I05 screw threaded' on the extreme outer threaded end I06 of the shaft 91 securely clamps the 'buffingwheels 95 and 96 and spacing collar I04 therebetween and the collar I02. Opposite the bufiing wheels 95 and 96, the rotary shaft 97 is extended beyond the bearing sleeve 99, as indicated at I01, and has mounted thereon for rotation therewith. but for axialsliding movements with respectthereto, a V pulley I09. The V-pulley- I00 isprovided with a flange I 09 which provides a circumferential channel III]. A bracket IH has aninturned end H 2 projected into the channel I hand its opposite end rigidly secured to the housing I00 by means or machine screws or the like H9 This arrangement maintains the v pulle'y "I09 at a predetermined spaced relation to the slider the housing I90- irrespective of the positionv of the axial movable bearing sleeve 99 with respect thereto. The housing-"I00 'and'fall elements car- 'iied thereby are supported from the, platform an exhaust Stack I29 to a Suitable place (if po'sal, ot shown, v 7

It will be seen, by reference to- Figs; 1 and 2, that the tire l9 lies in a vertical lane extending through the cent rs of: pive't ar mov ment or the turntable 2, and the pedestal -I}I. The iiJ'bSi-tifi mg of the bea ing sleeve 99 in the hatismglot, that of the hurling wheels and 9'6 on the shaft 91', and, the spacing" IqCWeh the Wheels, is such that one or the other or the wheels 95 or 99 may be selectively moved into orout of the vertical plane of the centers ofpivet'al movement of the turntable 2 and" the pedestalBI.

= Means for imparting axial movements to the bearing sleeve 99' and parts carried thereby includes a gear rack I22 on the bearingfsleevef 99, a toothed gear segment I22 having meshing engagement ters of pivotal movementof theturntable'z and pedestal M, and; in, Fi s. 4 and? 5,; the bearin sleeve 99 is moved to the other extreme. Position, whereby to bring the bursts, wheel" 95 into the vertical plane of the centers of, pivotal move ment of the turntable 2 and pedestal? 8|, A switch for controlling the 'inotor II'I is mounted on the bracket, H4 and, is indicated by the nu meral I29.

I provide an adjustable measuring. and cam tering device c mprising a pair of gauge elements. I21 and I29 independently-slidablyinouilted on a horizontally-disposed. gu'i'd. arm, I29". The guide arm I29 is adapted to be supported from the slide I I by means of, avertically-extende ed post. I39 secured at its lower 'ehd to a. bracket LI3I by screws or the. like, I321. Thebi'ahket I31 is secured to an arm 'II" protecting longitudithe like I39 (see particularly Figs. 2,v ands).

An adjustable head I34 i's mbllfl'te'd' for vertical movements on, the postremand/ma be located in any desired osition thereon by means ofa thumb. screw I35. Ananglefbracket I36 rigidly connects the guide arm I29 to the head I341 '50. as to position the guide arm I29above and parallel to the of the shaft IT; The gauge else meats 121E116 I 28, are, formed I10 provide gauge= acting. surfaces I31 and 'I138respectiv'el'yph their outer ends. on their upper sides, the gau e e1e= merits I27 and I29'ar'e providedtwith hut 'ac'ting heads I39 which, are reversely threaded; one with a right hand thread and the "other with a left hand thread, to receive the reversely threaded portions of a stud IE9; The-stud M9: isjour nalled'interm'ediate its ends, in a pair of spaced bearing lugs IM- secured fasttq the arm- I 219. The spurp'inion [-42 is rigidly secured tothe stud 14tintermediatethe M1? and has meshing engagement with aspen gear N 9 that 7 is-mounted for rotation between thelugs I4I on a short shaft I44. The intermeshing gears I42 and I43 lie in a vertical plane extending through the pivot axes of the turntable 2 and pedestal 8i, and gauges I21 and I28 are so spaced from one another that the gauge acting surfaces I38 thereon are equidistant at all times from said vertical plane. It will be understood that the wheel I8 upon which a tire B9 of a given size is mounted, is so constructed that when the shaft I! is at right angles to the vertical plane extending through the pivot axes of the turntable 2 and pedestal 8I, said vertical plane will be located centrally of the side walls of the tire I9 irrespective of the size of the tire. The numeral I45 indicates a scale having indicia in inches and fractions thereof and is secured at one end by welding or the like to the gauge element I21. Scale I45 extends through and is slidably supported by the guide element 28 through the medium of a guide bracket I4 5 secured at its lower end to the element I28 and at its upper end to the nut-acting head 139 thereof. Manipulation of the gear I43 will cause the gauge elements I21 and I28 to move simultaneously toward or away from one another and the distances between the opposite: gauge-acting surfaces IZB will register on the scale M5. It will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 6 that the post I30 is also provided with a scale marked in inches and fractions thereof, whereby a direct reading of the diameter of a tire may be had simply by moving the adjustable head i3 3 and parts carried thereby to a point where the gauge elements I2land I23 engage the crown of the tire I'9.

When it is desired to apply new tread rubber of a predetermined width to the tire I9, it is often desirable to remove some of the material from the side edges of the crown thereof. Gauge elements I21 and I28 are moved to the desired setting and the side edges of the crown portion of the tire buffed in accordance with the setting of the gauge elements. The relative positions of the tires and bu-ffing wheels for this operation are clearly shown in my prior Patent No. 2,392,667 (Fig. 2), and it is assumed that detailed description thereof is unnecessary. However, While the buffing wheel engages the tire I9, said tire is rotated at a predetermined speed by the motor 25 and gearing associated therewith. This speed is, of course, much slower than the peripheral speed of the boiling wheels. If a tire is required to be buffed to a certain diameter, said diameter can be very easily read on the markings of the scale on the post I30. Bufiing the crown surface of the tire I9 is accomplished in exactly the same manner as set forth in my prior Patents 2,254,526 and 2,392,667. The crown surface of the tire is preferably buffed to provide a relatively rough surface for an efiicient adhesion of the new tread rubber thereto. For this purpose, the buffing wheel 95 is moved to its operative position wherein it lies in the vertical plane extending between the pivot axes of the turntable 2 and the pedestal BI and laterally centrally of the tire I9. When buffing the side edges of the crown portion of the tire t9, the bearing sleeve 99 is moved so as to bring the buffing wheel 96 into said vertical plane. The buifing wheel 96, having a relatively fine grinding surface, will impart a relatively smooth surface to the side edges of the crown of the tire 19. When bufiing the crown surface of the tire I8, abrading surfaces IUI of the buffing wheels 8 are maintained in position to have face to face engagement with the tire by alignment and seating of the index rod 81 in the aperture 89, under extreme downward movement of the lever 84. When the side edges of the crown portion of the tire are being buffed, the pedestal M and bufiing mechanism carried thereby are frictionally locked against rotation by engagement of the friction lug 94 with the peripheral surface of the base plate 89 under extreme upward movement of the lever 84.

The gauge elements I21 and I28 also serve as centering guides when new tread rubber or camelback is applied to the buffed crown of the tire. The camelback may be applied while the tire I9 is being power-rotated at a relatively low speed, said speed obtained by moving the shifter lever 53 to the left with respect to Fig. '7 so as to cause frictional engagement between the Vpulley 42 and clutch flange 31. The tire I'll may be power-rotated at either a relatively high or relatively low speed during the buffing operation, depending on the nature of the work, and this is determined by the position of the shifter lever 53 and parts associated therewith.

This machine has been thoroughly tested and demonstrated in actual practice and has been found to be completely adequate for the accomplishment of the objectives set forth; and, while I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be obvious that the same is capable of various modifications without departure from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims.

What I claim is: 1. Means for gauging the axial limits of a circumferential tread area of a tire casing to be operated upon and for indicating the diameter of such area upon completion of operation thereon and wherein said casing is rotatably supported on a horizontal axle mounted on a support; said means comprising a vertically disposed post having its lower end connected to said support and having a tire tread diameter indicating scale thereon, a gauge head vertically adjustably supported on said post, a horizontally disposed tread area gauge arm extending over the tire tread and having one end thereof secured to said gauge head, a pair of gauge elements slidably supported on said arm and having opposed gauging faces equidistantly spaced from the central vertical plane of the tire casing, and means supported on the arm and operatively engaged with said gauge elements for simultaneous movement thereof toward and away from said plane.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said last means comprises a pair of spaced lugs projecting upwardly from said arm intermediate said gauge elements, an elongated rod having oppositely arranged threads and cooperating with nut-acting heads on said gauge elements, said rod extending through aligned apertures in said lugs, a pinion secured to said rod and disposed between said lugs and a finger rotatable gear journaled in said lugs in operative engagement with said pinion.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said gauge elements have bottom faces converging upwardly toward said vertical plane for general conformity with the casing tread upon lowering of said arm for ascertaining the diameter of the tread as indicated by the scale on said post in cooperation with the gauge head.

4. The structure according to claim 1, together with an elongated scale bar having one end there- 9 of secured to one of said gauge elements, and a Number guide bracket secured to the other gauge element 1,977,297 through which said scale bar extends for relative 2,040,449 movement thereto. 2,045,778 PAUL E. HAWKINSON. 5 2,149,409 2,242,031 References Cited in the file of this patent 71 13 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,392,667

Number Name Date 10 14, Number 1,245,213 Gammeter Nov. 6, 191 241,226 1,281,526 Curtis Oct. 15, 1918 499 34 1,363,825 Taylor Dec. 23, 1920 1377 53 4 1,420,700 I-Iofiman June 27, 1922 315,392 1,576,453 Nordstrom Mar. 9, 1926 

